Use of Anabolic Steroids Increasing
According to The Guardian and The Independent, the Government has urged for a ban over the online import of anabolic steroids.
The anabolic steroids are basically taken by men to strengthen up their muscles and to encourage athletic traits, but have been taken by a quarter of a million people in the UK. The worry is growing over the use of steroids by adolescent boys and young men, which could inflict physical and psychological problems.
The report on the misuse of anabolic steroids in the UK has been brought out by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). It has been released as the concerns for the use of steroids among young men are growing.
The laboratory developed anabolic steroids are synthetic substances that have the same effect on body as male sex hormones have. They motivate the growth of tissues and develop male features such as muscle mass, body hair, development of the male genitals and heaviness in the voice.
As per the British Crime Survey in 2009-10, about 226,000 people aged 16 to 59 in England and Wales consented to have anabolic steroids. There has been a surge in the consumers of these steroids, as found by local drug partnerships.
The use of anabolic steroids gives way to side effects like acne, heart problems, liver problems and psychological symptoms such as aggression, violence and hypomania.
“They are prescription-only medicines and can only be lawfully sold or supplied in accordance with a prescription from an appropriate practitioner”, says the AMCD report.
COMMENTS